GOLDEN, CO- The Cougars continued play at the Oredigger Classic on Friday as they took on Cal Poly Humboldt. In a battle throughout, CCU fell in four sets to the Lumberjacks as they now sit at 1-1 on the season.
The Cougars came out hot in set one, scoring the first four points after two straight kills from
Sienna Thatcher. CPH rallied back and the teams stayed tight as a
Sierra Crist kill made it 14-13 in favor of her team. The Lumberjacks surged late, taking six of the final seven points to claim the set 25-18.
A tight second set saw the Cougars turn a 12-9 deficit into a 14-12 lead after Crist and
Giselle Haugen put down kills and Haugen and
Suzanna Conner notched a block. CCU took control of the set late, rolling off seven straight points capped by consecutive kills from
Krista Traynor for a 24-16 lead. Crist finished it off with a kill for the 25-19 set win.
Cal Poly Humboldt took control of set three early and never looked back, eventually taking a 20-6 lead before claiming the set 25-15.
CCU scored the first four points of the fourth set, but the Lumberjacks rallied back to take a 9-6 lead. The Cougars fought to stay in the match, but a pivotal run in the middle of the set put Humboldt ahead 20-13 to force a timeout. A
Connelly Kilgore kill helped CCU pull back to within three, but in the end the Lumberjacks took the set and the match with a 25-21 set four victory.
Thatcher had a big night with 15 kills, while Traynor and Crist had 7 apiece.
Kate Kopas was excellent in the back row with 23 digs while Traynor dished out 20 assists.
The Cougars will look to end their first tourney of the year on a high note tomorrow as they take on Northern State at 1:30 p.m. MST.
